Cam Newton Scouting Report

Cam Newton QB Auburn #2

Ht: 6’5

Wt: 248

Strengths:

Elite size and strength. Built like a tight end. Impressive mobility for his size. Has the speed to pick up yards with his feet. Strong enough to shake defenders off his back. Extremely tough to bring down. Does a great job keeping his eyes down field, even when on the run. Elite arm strength; can make any throw you ask of him. Accuracy is good when he sets his feet and takes his time to throw.

Weaknesses:

Serious character red flags. Arrested for stealing a laptop while at Florida. Potentially involved with requesting a salary from Mississippi State, before signing with Auburn. Plays sloppy at times; often does not set his feet and puts too much faith in his arm strength and loses accuracy as a result. Limited ability to read a defense; locks on to receivers and when it doesn’t work out he takes off.

Comments:

There’s no denying Newton’s raw talent, but I wouldn’t touch him early in the draft. None of his character red flags on their own are all that serious, but collectively they present a pattern of behavior which leads me to believe he will not be dedicated to becoming a great NFL quarterback. Someone will draft him in the 1st round and make him a starting quarterback, but ultimately he will fail. He may have enough talent to be a mediocre starter for a period of time, but he will never take his game to an elite level. I would prefer to avoid the headaches he’ll cause and steer clear. For more, see my blog post on Newton.

About the author

Ryan McCrystal

Ryan launched DraftAce in 2004. His Top 100 board is currently ranked 1st out of 20 publications in The Huddle Report's five-year averages. His mock draft is ranked 10th out of 32 competitors.You can also find Ryan's weekly Heisman Predictor series on ESPN Insider every fall.